Chapter 1

Two elderly ladies sat in their garden enjoying their morning tea in the early autumn sunshine when they saw the young girl with her wet, dirty nightshirt clinging all around and blood seeping from the countless scratches and wounds on her arms, legs and feet, staring blindly and treading steadily along the main road leading into the small town of Tawry. At first simply concerned for the childs safety, they called for her to come off the road.She did not answer, didn't pause for a second. Fearing she may be lost one of the women hurried to follow her while the other went inside to call the police. Upon catching up to the walking girl, she gently placed a hand on her shoulder, without so much as a flinch the girl walked on. The woman stepped in front of her and opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again as her eyes met the blank glazed eyes of the young child. shuddering she stepped aside again as her friend called to her from the veranda.

"The police are on their way Clancy.... Clancy? Are you okay?" She felt a sinking feeling in her middle as she registered the look of horror on her best friends face.

By the time Sergeant Johnson found the girl there had been two more reports and she had walked half way across town and was nearing the marketplace. The old sergeant, afraid of losing her in the crowd if she made it into the marketplace, wound his window down and pulled up beside her.

"Are you lost?" He asked, "Do you need any help?" Failing to attract her attention, he got out of the car and began to follow her. It was easy to keep up with her steady pace and he knew the area well. As he walked he pondered the silent child, could she be blind? Deaf? Intellectually disabled? He studied the scratches that covered her bare limbs and wondered how far she had walked, surely someone, somewhere was missing her. Why hadn't they reported it? And those eyes... Alien, and yet somehow so familiar.